And the Clock Struck Twelve: Perfect Version
by Seraphim Starlight
Summary: "This is the way it was meant to be," she told herself. When the clock struck twelve the dream would end. There was no helping it. But at least this time, she was ready. The original story completely rewritten from the ground up. Rated M for safety. Endgame spoilers.
1. Chapter 1: You Get What You Give

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Tales of the Abyss

**Author's Note:** Just in case you might not have seen the note at the end of Chapter 11 of And the Clock Struck Twelve, I have come to the conclusion that for certain reasons the original story must be rewritten. However, because the interlude story is currently in progress and the sequel will start being posted in November, I can't rightly remove the original story yet as this version may not be completed any time soon. However, there are issues I refer to in the interlude and the sequel that are not present in the original version. I can tell you that, overall, the result of the story _will_ be the same, just the paths taken there will be different. Think of it as an alternate reality.

This is _NOT_ simply a proofing of the original. This is rewritten from the ground up. Take a look and see what I mean. At any rate, this is the story the way it was meant to be. Please enjoy it as such.

* * *

That night in Tataroo Valley was a windy one. The flowers danced and bowed almost in time with the distant swell of the ocean beyond the cliffs and the brilliant moon even made an appearance, hanging high in the sky like the centerpiece jewel of a vast celestial crown. To the superstitious, the sudden appearance of the moon where recently only foreboding grey clouds had filled the sky might have seemed a sign that something important was about to occur. However, two years of constant disappointment had forced Natalia to lay aside her wishful thinking for a far more adult-like stoicism. She suspected that the others had also reached a similar conclusion just earlier than she. All except Tear at any rate.

Tear made the trip to the valley every night religiously. She walked the same path, perched on the same rock and watched the horizon with the same hopeful eyes for two years without fail.

In those first dreadful days after the fall of Eldrant when grief and hope warred equally within them, the others had joined her in her vigil as well, but as the rest of the world slowly crept back up on them, they each had to make a choice.

Jade was the first to leave. Being older and more experienced he held plenty of insight into the stages of grieving, and though he never would have admitted it, the lack of his usual sarcasm indicated quite clearly that something was amiss. He understood in a way that the rest of them only would later that the world did not stop for one person's grief and that he would eventually have to move forward with it.

Anise was next, not in so much as she followed Jade's example as that she had her own pressing matters to attend to. After the rebellion of the Oracle Knights and the death of the Fon Master, the Order of Lorelei lay in shambles. Anise knew that she wasn't Ion, and she knew that picking up the pieces of an organization shattered by lies and betrayal was a monumental task even for the best among them, but the Order was her home, the only one she had ever known, and she wasn't going to let it go without a fight. But to keep hold of it, she also knew she would have to let go elsewhere.

Natalia stayed as long as she could. Weeks turned into months, and it was nearly a year before she made her decision. Kimlasca had its own mess to deal with. Even without the chaos caused by the lowering of the land, the kingdom had been in a bad situation because of its war against Malkuth. The outbreak of the conflict had not just been sudden but poorly planned. For all the years that Kimlasca spent staring Malkuth down, they had done relatively little preparation for the inevitable war, instead relying on the Score to miraculously grant them victory. Now the majority of the population lay decimated with all but the sickest civilians having been drafted to serve their kingdom. As such, Kimlasca found itself in the utterly undesirable position of being nearly dependent on their former enemy for basic necessities such as food and medicine, and the situation was only being compounded by the waning of the Planet Storm.

Eventually, Natalia reached a point where she could no longer look away from the situation before her. She had spent a great deal of time on her own grief. As much as she had lost, she could not let her people suffer for that.

She had returned to Baticul with as much haste as possible, not wanting to give herself time to second guess her decision. She threw herself into the peace talks with Malkuth which had stalled as the foolish nobles who had been sent to the table had wrongly sought to extract concessions from Malkuth instead of making parley with them.

It was at this time that she ran into Jade again. Though more of a soldier than a negotiator, he was the Emperor's steadfast confidante and could be counted on to keep Malkuth nobles in check simply by his presence. As such, even with the shift in Kimlasca's position, negotiations were an uphill battle that lasted well into the next year. Before she knew it, she had lost touch with nearly all the others save the Colonel whom she saw on a near daily basis.

Surprisingly, it was Guy who played the most pivotal role in keeping tabs on everyone. Every year he made sure that they all gathered at Tataroo Valley on the anniversary of the fall of Eldrant (known as such because they all refused to acknowledge it as anything else). He had even gone to the extent of asking Peony close negotiations on the day so that she and Jade would have no reason to refuse.

This was how she found herself watching the moon rise over the Valley, casting the ruins of Eldrant into relief in the distance. Despite the fact that just a few hours ago she had been heatedly arguing against the Malkuth ambassador's demand that Kimlasca give up their claim to Port Kaitzur in exchange for more aid, thoughts of the negotiations had all but vanished from her mind. In a way, she hated herself for losing sight of Luke's memory like this but tried to take some comfort in the fact that at least she was doing what she could to protect the world that he had, in all likelihood left behind.

She did not expect anything to be different this year and had been all but ready to leave with the others when they saw the shadow off in the distance. She cannot remember exactly what happened next, or perhaps she had simply chosen not to remember as fate snatched away the last fragments of hope onto which she had been clinging with all of her being.

Of course she was happy for Tear and for Luke too-happy to know that their unwavering devotion had at last been rewarded, but some part of her that she dared not face could only see what she had lost.

But she was getting better at masking her thoughts. Such a skill was a necessity when working opposite a man who could read even a stranger like an open book, and she somehow made it through all the celebrations that followed without letting her secret slip.

It wasn't as easy when she was alone however, and now with negotiations suspended indefinitely in light of her cousin's return, she found herself without much to do once the celebrations were over. Still, she did her best, just as was expected of her.

She reported to her father about the status at the close of the negotiations, patiently endured the tirades of the nobles who thought she was being too lenient with Malkuth, held back tears as she heard the suffering that the common folk endured and endeavoured to fix at least some of the too numerous problems that now plagued her country.

But there was only so much that she could do from the capital. As usual, it was the remote villages that were suffering the worst. Far out of sight of the nobility, the villagers, mainly children and the elderly often endured sickness and famine without any of the aid that the more accessible villages received. At the end of the day, this was more a logistical problem than anything and could be resolved with a tactful application of brute force.

"I'm going out there," she had told her father who, to his credit managed to stay conscious.

But this was complete and utter madness! Perhaps she needed a diversion from the high pressure environment of the negotiating table. Perhaps she was ill and the fever was making her delirious. Perhaps she had finally lost her mind as some of the less tactful nobles whispered among themselves. After all, why on earth would the crown princess want to trek out to the farthest corners of the kingdom to save a handful of peasants?

"It is the very fact that you do not understand that means _I_ must go," she had told them.

Understanding but understandably concerned for her safety, her father had agreed and ordered a platoon of knights to accompany her-a condition which she had promptly refused. She was going to _help_ the villagers not scare them out of their wits. Sure the knights may mean well, but there was nothing worse for a tiny village whose resources were already stretched to the max than having to put up an entire contingent from the capital. She would go alone. After all, she was nowhere near as weak as she used to be.

Still, she was unable to convince her father to at let her travel on her own, and stuck at an impasse, she did what all negotiators are prone to do-she compromised.

And this, is how she found herself face to face with her cousin who, to be honest, was the absolute last person she wanted to see.

The trip started off badly, not only because she was being forced to confront the root of her problem far earlier than she had hoped to but also because the pair found themselves beset by a storm on their way towards Port Belkend.

Two days they stayed holed up in the inn with barely a sentence passing between them, and not for Luke's lack of trying, mind. She knew it was selfish to ignore him, but managed to convince herself that it was for the best-rather than saying the horrible things she knew she would say if she spoke to him, it was better to remain silent.

But on the third day, Luke had had enough.

"Look," he said, "I don't know what I did, but sitting there brooding about it isn't going to help matters. Just tell me what I did so I can fix it!"

"It's nothing you _can_ fix," she snapped. "Just leave it at that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She glanced away out the window the the sea where the storm still raged. "Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Natalia."

But she couldn't lie. Not to him. Not really at any rate. And that was precisely the problem.

She stood from her seat and headed in the direction of the stairs. At least if she was sleeping, he couldn't bother her, but he took hold of her arm at the elbow, holding her in place.

Were he anyone else in the world, she would have shook off his hand, but this was Luke, and even if they weren't related by blood, he was still her family. After a moment, she relented. "Let's talk outside."

He followed her silently.

The wind was driving the rain at an angle so that even huddled in the stone doorway, the rain still ghosted her skin. With the noise of the storm, they would have to practically shout to hear each other.

Luke grimaced. "Lovely weather we're having, huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "It wouldn't matter if you'd dressed for it."

"Says the woman in heels."

She couldn't help the flush of embarrassment that crept up her neck. "I _told_ you. I can walk in them just fine when the ground is dry!"

He laughed, but the sound disappeared quickly, carried away by the storm.

"I'm sorry," he said simply.

She looked up. "What are you apologizing for? It's not your fault. You'd better not feel guilty about surviving."

"Well, you're making it kind of difficult _not_ to."

"I know. I'm sorry for that."

She wanted to move away, put some space between them but was hemmed in by the door on one side and the rain on the other. She'd never been good at close-quarter emotional talks. It was easier to remain distant-less messy that way. "He was also important to me, you know."

"I know."

"But you are too. No matter what happened, I would have lost someone I cared about. At least Tear didn't lose you. She deserves to be happy."

"So do you."

She shook her head. "I lost Asch a long time ago. I guess, I just never let myself come to terms with it. I mean, all those years, and I never even realized he was gone. And when I realized the mistake I had made, I was so desperate to fix it. I wronged him terribly. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had hated me for it."

"He didn't."

"And how do you know that?" she asked, her voice taut with frustration. "How would you even know what he thought? Don't patronise me, Luke. I couldn't bear it."

"Natalia, I'm sorry, but I really think you should listen…"

She could feel the tears welling and didn't want Luke to see her like this and pity her. She tried to open the door to get back inside but would have had to shove him out of the doorway to do so. "I don't want to talk about this right now."

He held the door shut with a single hand. "Then when will you talk about it? Tomorrow? A year from now? The others told me what's been happening while I was gone."

The last sentence was so accusatory that she couldn't help turning to face him. "And just what did they tell you, pray? That I've been working day and night to help my countrymen? That I've been pushing for a peace that none of the Kimlascan nobility even seem to want? Just what could they _possibly_ have told you?"

"What you're doing to yourself isn't healthy!"

"Healthy?" she scoffed. "There's nothing for good health like a little hard work."

"Not when you overdo it. I hear you haven't been sleeping."

"Negotiations have kept me busy."

"Then what about now? Negotiations are closed, and this storm's apparently going to stick around for the next several days."

"The weather disturbs my sleep."

"When was the last time you slept? Or ate a proper meal for that matter?"

"I don't know, but I must have or I'd be going mad about now."

He frowned. "Surviving isn't living, Natalia."

Her ire was catching faster than she could contain it. "Don't lecture me on how to live my life. I live for the sake of my people. It is my honour and my greatest privilege!"

But he remained undeterred. "I've only been around you for a couple days, and I can already see what's happening. Tell me, do you think it was a coincidence that negotiations were suspended?"

It took a moment, but when the implication of his words sank in, she had to try not to let her horror show. "That was in honour of your return."

It was his turn to scoff. "You don't really think so. You try to hide it, but you know what really happened. Jade asked the Emperor to suspend the negotiations."

The idea was so ludicrous that she wanted to laugh. "Him? Worried about me?"

"From what I hear, he was actually quite annoyed. He was saying something along the lines of 'A ruler who can't take care of their own health isn't fit to rule a country'. At least, I think that's what Guy told me."

"Guy? Since when are he and the Colonel so chummy?"

"Apparently, he moved to Grand Chokmah and works as part of the Emperor's council now-being Malkuth nobility and all."

"Huh. I thought he still lived at the manor."

"Tear said this happened a while ago. I mean, you would have known, but I hear you haven't been back to Baticul in nearly two years, until recently anyway."

"Again with the accusations! I've been busy!"

"No, you're being defensive."

"That's it. I'm going back inside."

She tried to push him away from the door, and he tried to stay where he was. The net result was that she shoved him, he lost his balance on the slick stone and tumbled face down into the muddy road. She moved out into the road to help him up.

"Oh my god, Luke, I'm sorry!"

He looked like he was trying to sit up, but the slippery mud seemed to be making moving difficult. She took him by his elbow and tried to pull him to his feet when he suddenly reached up and dragged her into the mud with him.

She shot upright with an indignant squawk and brushed the mud from her eyes. "You!"

He rolled back on his haunches, laughing until he was nearly breathless. She waited until he was gasping for breath then lobbed some mud directly at his open mouth.

He sputtered and flailed while she laughed honestly for the first time in two years.

"You moody little princess!" he spat, lobbing some more mud at her.

His aim was a little high, and the glob sailed over her head.

Her aim was more accurate; she was an archer after all. "You arrogant know it all!"

"Workaholic!"

"Brat!"

"Obsessive-compulsive!"

"_Ginger_!"

He was taken aback and grabbed the ends of his muddy hair indignantly. "It's red! Not _ginger_! It's the colour of the royal family!"

"Well I'm the princess, and I'm not _ginger_."

"That's just you and your genetics."

But they both know that wasn't true. Just as Luke wasn't her blood cousin, she wasn't blood royalty either. But, despite that, she liked to think that she'd earned her title the past few years.

"I'm really glad you're back," she said at last. He looked at her wide-eyed, and she sighed. "And I'm not just saying that either. I really am glad."

He smiled. "Thanks. That means alot."

He looked so ridiculous sitting there in the muddy road and the rain that she couldn't help smiling.

"Welcome home, Luke."

He nodded. "It's good to be back."

* * *

Next chapter: _A fragment from the past unearths painful memories for both Luke and Natalia. Chapter Two: Break Even._


	2. Chapter 2: Breaking Even

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Tales of the Abyss.

* * *

**Chapter Two**: Breaking Even

* * *

"We don't need your pity," the village leader spits as he throws the bag of supplies into the dirt.

Natalia bites back a flicker of irritation. "Mayor, please, if you'd just listen…."

The man scowls. "Why? So you can just feed us more excuses? Where were you when we starved for days on end so our children could eat? Or when falling ill meant certain death?"

Natalia remains silent, knowing full well he has every right to be angry.

Beside her Luke frowns. "We were fighting a madman to make sure you'd be able to stand here and complain today."

To his credit, the Mayor does look somewhat apologetic. "Yes, I have heard the stories. But that has nothing to do with explaining why we went without any aid for two years after the end of the war."

"Of course not," Natalia concedes. "There is no excuse for what happened. The only thing I am capable of is offering you aid now."

"As I said before, Princess Natalia, we are doing just fine on our own. These past two years have made us self-reliant."

"Even so, I cannot simply abandon you and your people."

The mayor sighs and turns away.

"With all due respect, Princess, your kingdom already has."

* * *

That evening she and Luke set up camp near the outskirts of the village. Treit isn't even so much a village as a small congregation of buildings that seemed to huddle together seeking refuge from the darkness. Given the mayor's response to their offer of help, Luke and Natalia decided to keep some distance from the village. From around their small fire they can just barely discern the shadowy outlines of the buildings. Across from her, Luke is frowning at his food.

"You don't have to glare at it like that," she huffs indignantly. "My cooking's gotten a lot better recently."

"It's not that."

"Then what?"

"I was just thinking, why is it that whenever someone says 'with all due respect' they really mean the exact opposite?"

She laughs, drawing a stare. "You looked so serious I was thinking it was something terrible."

"You don't consider what happened today terrible?"

She shakes her head. "At least we're talking. That's what matters."

"I get the feeling we could talk to them until we're blue in the face and still wouldn't gain any ground."

"That's the way negotiation works sometimes," she says setting her food aside. The serious turn of conversation had snuffed out the last of her appetite. Not that the food was all that appetising anyway. "You know, Anise may have been a bit of a brat, but I miss her cooking sometimes."

Luke looks down at his food again. "Yeah. I know what you mean."

Natalia sees an opportunity to tease her cousin a little. "Luke," she began sweetly, "are you insulting my cooking? Because I assure you, I can make the next meal much, MUCH worse."

Luke pales. "Hey! You started it."

"Doesn't mean you should agree with me."

"And if I'd said your food was just fine?"

"I would have known you were lying."

"So no matter what I said I would have been wrong, huh?"

She grins smugly. "That's the way negotiation works sometimes."

* * *

The next several days go by in the same fashion as the previous ones. From morning until evening they try to persuade the villagers to accept their help often times taking up menial tasks without being asked simply just so they can do something useful.

Luke chops firewood-practicing his swordsmanship he'd said when asked. Natalia gathers medicinal plants from the surrounding woods-she'd needed them to make a salve anyway, but doesn't hesitate to share some blackberries she'd found during her search with a curious child who wanders over.

They fetch water, move furniture, guard the village's small herd of livestock-they even bring cooked food for the villagers but that is refused. Natalia says it is because the people still don't trust her. Luke says it's her cooking they don't trust.

The days pass quickly but the nights drag on. Once the sun sets, they retreat to their small campsite. The progress they have been making is barely measurable, but they reassure themselves that moving forward, even slightly, is better than standing still.

On one such night, Natalia speaks up.

"Back in Belkend, you had said something about Asch."

For a moment, Luke thinks he has heard wrong. It's been nearly a week since their storm-plagued stay in Belkend, and she hadn't broached the topic even once. He had just managed to convince himself that she had actually forgotten. He should have known better. When it came to Asch, there was no way either of them could forget.

"Yeah."

She hesitates, clearly uncertain but presses forward regardless. "What were you going to tell me?"

Instead of answering outright, Luke sets his food aside and pulls a small package wrapped in black cloth and hands it to her. "According to mother, this appeared in the manor one day. Coincidentally it was the same day that a large quantity of silver went missing as well, so I can only assume the Dark Wings left it."

As her cousin talks, Natalia carefully unwraps the bundle to find three things: a thick envelope, still sealed, a familiar looking pendant and another, much smaller letter that had obviously been opened. On the front of the smaller envelope in sharp but neat writing was the word _Replica_.

"The guards weren't sure what it was," Luke continued, watching his cousin carefully as she inspected each item. "But when mother saw the smaller envelope, she contacted me. The one letter was clear about what should be done with the other two items in the bundle."

He falls silent. She picks up the smaller letter and turns it over to reveal the broken wax seal. "May I read it?"

"It's your letter."

"No, I meant yours."

"Mine? Why?"

At first, she does not answer. When he looks up he notices the slight tremor in her hand. Her expression is deceptively neutral, but after knowing her for so long, he is certain she's doing her best to remain composed. "I just don't think I should read the other one yet," she says at last.

"Go ahead. I guess I'll...uh...go patrol the village perimeter or something."

That was a task that would take at least fifteen minutes. Bless him, he was trying to be considerate. "I'll hold down the fort here, then."

He only nods and disappears in the direction of the village.

She waits, listening as the sound of his footsteps are swallowed by the sounds of the forest before turning her attention back to the bundle. She slips the thick letter into her bag knowing she will not be reading it today. That would require privacy, and right now she had a job to do. There was no way she would permit herself to hole up for the week she would need afterwards. Instead she carefully pulls the other letter from its envelope and carefully unfolds the parchment.

The letter begins in the acerbic tone that Asch would always take whenever he had to deal with Luke.

_Dreck,_

_Ideally this letter will never see the light of day. _

_I am looking forward to burning it when I return from Eldrant. _

_But things rarely ever go according to plan, and this is my last resort._

_Only one of us will survive._

_I hate trusting you with anything so important._

_No matter what happens, she will cry. _

A large smudge darkens the page here as though words were written and then blotted out.

_You will look after her. _

_With this, we will be even._

_The other two items are hers. _

_See that she gets them._

The letter is short, the sentences choppy, and they _hurt_. In the back of her mind, Natalia knows she is right to not read the other letter now. Even this letter, written to someone he supposedly hated was written with such care, she cannot imagine how much is packed into her letter.

Carefully, she folds the letter and places it aside, smoothing over the paper with trembling hands. She cannot bear to look at it anymore.

She almost wants it gone. It was difficult enough thinking he'd died angry with her; it was worse having proof that he had cared.

She looks at the last item in the bundle, a small round object wrapped in the same type of cloth as the entire bundle had been wrapped in. Against her better judgement, she unwraps the item to reveal a golden crest set with a small blue stone. The Maestro Stone.

"A farewell present," she murmurs to the stone. "You knew full well what would happen, didn't you? I must have been the only one foolish enough to believe that everything would be all right."

"No. You weren't."

She looks up with a start to find that Luke had returned. She hadn't even heard him approach. "Weren't what?"

"Foolish," he says, resuming his seat across the campfire from her. "It's not foolish to hope for happiness. If anyone was the fool in this ordeal, it was me."

"There was nothing you could have done, Luke."

"I should have realised something was wrong," he says sharply. "Instead I was so focused on my own imminent death that I didn't even stop to think that the same thing might have been happening to him."

"Luke, I don't-"

She reaches out, but he shrugs away the hand she has placed on his shoulder. "Just let me get this off my chest, Natalia. There's just not anyone else who I can really talk to about this."

She wants to object but cannot. She knows the feeling. Despite concern from Tear and the others, she never felt able to speak about Asch. He was off-limits because she knew the others would try to comfort her, assure her that she was not in any way at fault. But she didn't _want_ to hear that. She didn't _want_ to be coddled and comforted. She blamed herself and wanted someone else to blame her as well. Looking at Luke, she knew he felt the same, so she let him speak.

"I should have known something was wrong," he says quietly, glancing away into the darkness of the woods. "I should have done something-stopped him from going to Eldrant. Hell, I should have been the one to die. I mean, I wasn't even _supposed_ to be born in the first place, and I'm the one who lived!"

"That's not your fault," she says firmly. "It doesn't matter your origin, you're still a living, breathing human being. You deserve to live as much as anyone." As much as she understands his need to blame himself, that is one thing she will not let him blame himself for. "And I'm to blame as much as anyone. You had your own concerns; I didn't even _ask_. I didn't even _try_ to find out how he was doing, didn't even _notice_. I was selfish. I claimed to love him, yet I acted as though I didn't even care!"

He hesitates. "Did you?"

She looks up. "Pardon?"

"Did you care?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "I did."

"Then that should be enough."

"How can it be?" she burst out, unable to contain the guilt. "No matter what I was going through, he always, _always_ helped me yet when he needed help, I couldn't even be bothered to notice!"

"Even if you had noticed, what good would it have done?"

The question stuns her to silence, but only for a moment. "You can't mean that."

He refuses to relent. "Think about it, Natalia. The only way to save one of us would have been to _willingly_ sacrifice the other. Do you honestly think you would have been able to make such a decision?"

"Of course not! I wouldn't sacrifice _either_ of you. There might have been another way that could have saved you both."

"If there was another way, don't you think that Jade would have told us? He may be callous, but he's not cruel."

"You don't know that." The words slip out despite herself. She'd grown up hearing terrible tales of the famed Necromancer, the enemy of her country. Even having met him face to face, she cannot totally discard the terrifying image she has of him.

"I trust him."

She can't bring herself to agree, and she knows he notices. Thankfully, he lets her silence slide.

"You know, we're one hell of a pair," he says with a rueful chuckle.

"What do you mean?" she asks, grateful for the change of topic.

"We both keep trying to take the blame for something that I'm sure, most people, would say we couldn't have prevented."

She looks down at the Maestro Stone still clutched in her hand. "It doesn't matter what 'most people' would think. We're the ones at the centre of this."

"Yeah. They wouldn't understand anyway."

They fall silent for a moment.

"Hey, Natalia. Let's make a deal."

She looks up at her cousin. "What kind of deal?"

"You agree with me, don't you, that none of the others would understand why we'd blame ourselves over Asch's death. But it's not healthy to bottle all this stuff up. So when it gets to be too much for you, you'll talk to me, and when I need to talk, I'll talk to you about it. How about that?"

What he's saying makes a certain degree of sense. They are the only ones who can truly understand why they both blame themselves for what happened. "Okay. But I won't let you blame yourself for surviving. I know I'm partly to blame for your thinking that, so if I see you going down that road, I'm going to haul you back by the ears."

"If Tear doesn't get me first," he laughs. "In exchange, I'm going to make sure you take care of yourself."

She recalls a line from the letter. _You will look after her._ "You don't have to feel obligated," she says quickly.

He frowns. "It's not about obligation. You're my cousin. There's no way I'd turn a blind eye to something like that."

"You're so stubborn."

"Look who's talking."

She can't help the bitter little laugh that bubbles up.

* * *

**Author's Note:**I don't know about the name for the village. Apologies if it's weird or anything. I suck at naming things.


	3. Chapter 3: Move

Chapter Three: Move

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Tales of the Abyss.

* * *

_Four Days Earlier..._

Cecille pores over the single page of the scout's letter as though doing so might somehow clarify the vaguely ominous sightings of "unidentified creatures" he had reported in Inista Marsh. Even though the marsh was off-limits to civilians, the thought of anything "unidentified" and thus potentially dangerous so close to Baticul was enough to raise concern in a normal situation, but it was even more worrying to think that the creatures-whatever they were-might not have merely emerged from the fetid depths of the marsh but rather had migrated towards the capital from Kimlasca's far borders.

Suspicions that these creatures might somehow be linked to Malkuth rose in the back of her mind only to be quickly quelled. There was a time in the not too distant past when such an assumption would have caught like wildfire among the ranks of the Kimlascan military. To Cecille, the thought felt more like a bucket of ice water poured over her head. With the treaty negotiations suspended as they were, it would be far too easy for suspicions alone to destroy the tentative peace between the two long-time enemies.

She glances back at the letter in her hand, wondering if she should reach out to the Malkuth envoy to see if he had been receiving similar reports. After all, in a situation such as this where suspicion might naturally fall on a former enemy, it would likely be best to keep both parties involved. But the thought of having to deal with Colonel Curtiss again gave her pause. Even when they were technically on the same side of a matter he managed to come across as adversarial. Despite his being a genius, or perhaps because of it, he made handling even the most mundane of situations unpleasant.

She remembers the early days of negotiations when General Goldberg and Minister Alpine who had then headed the Kimlascan delegation first crossed paths with the Colonel over the negotiation table. She had been part of Goldberg's envoy at the time, and her only intended value had been as an ornament to underscore the General's importance. She was to have no active role in the negotiations herself, and as such had spent most of her time observing the proceedings.

Goldberg and Alpine had been arrogant, excessively so, yet Colonel Curtiss had remained unruffled by their constant demands and accusations, reminding Cecille of a cliff that stood unmoved despite the raging of the sea. Negotiations had stagnated for quite some time after that with neither side refusing to give an inch. Kimlasca's people were suffering while the nobility quibbled over details.

So when Natalia had finally returned to Baticul, it had been Cecille who hinted to her at the terrible state of the negotiations, more so to give the princess something to throw her energy into than with any hope of her making a difference. Though not a skilled negotiator by any means, Natalia was notoriously stubborn when it came to the welfare of her people; in the princess' eyes, _everything_ came second to her people- especially pride and political maneuvering. By no means did she ever bow and scrape to get what she needed but rather was open to unconventional and sometimes controversial compromises that left the staunch Kimlascan nobility shaking their heads in dismay.

"It must be her _common_ blood showing," some of the less tactful nobles whispered once the princess was well out of earshot. By now, the story of Natalia's true parentage had made its way through both all levels of Kimlascan society. While the truth drew the people closer to the princess, it also served to estrange her from the bloodline-focused families of Kimlasca's top tier.

But rather than let the poorly disguised scorn deter her, Natalia seemed to draw strength from their animosity, pushing even harder towards her goal. Even so, something was wrong with the young princess. Everyone who knew her could tell, but no one mentioned anything about the problem. Cecille took that to mean that it was a personal matter and hoped that someone closer to the girl would, at some point address whatever was the matter. Now that she was traveling with her cousin, she could at least hope that Luke would say something.

Which, of course lead her back to her initial problem. The most recent report had come from the region around Inista Marsh, but there had been some other, less urgent reports of strange creatures in the less populated western regions of the country-right where the Princess and her cousin happened to be wandering.

She sets aside the report and reaches for a bundle of charts on her desk. After glancing back and forth between the squad deployment map and the roster of available forces, she sets both documents aside. Leave it to the disastrous duo to be wandering so far out in the wilderness that there is not a conveniently stationed garrison that could reach them quickly. By the time pigeon messengers arrived at the closest garrison and the soldiers were ready to mobilize, Cecille would already be there on foot.

Truthfully, there is no reason that she can identify that would lead her to think that the cousins were in any danger. The sightings had been sporadic at best and consequently had been dismissed by her superiors as unreliable. Even if she could have gotten orders out in time, could she really justify sending troops into the wilderness on what might amount to a wild goose chase?

But she is an old hand at surviving, and didn't survive as many battles as she did by ignoring her instincts. Something is wrong, and if it isn't wrong right now, it will go wrong shortly. She needs to find Luke and Natalia-warn them. Rather than trying to convince anyone else to go and check on them, it would just be simpler to go herself. If asked, she would just respond that she is looking out for the well-being of her country, because at the end of the day, that is exactly what she is doing. Protecting the future of Kimlasca.

She leaves her office,stopping only to make arrangements with the quartermaster for the necessary supplies before returning to her modest home on the middle-level of the city for a change of clothes and a quick meal. While heading out in full uniform is the standard on an official mission, doing so now would only cause more issues once her superiors realized she was gone. Hefting her rucksack on one shoulder, she checks that her sword is secured in the sheath at her side before heading for the lift to take her to the lower level.

As she heads for the main bridge leading out of the city, she resists the urge to look over her shoulder. It is by no means unusual for her to be absent from her office during any time of the day as she spent a great deal of her time handling minor matters in the city during the princess' absence. There is no reason any of her superiors should be suspicious of her absence now. Still, she can't shake the feeling that she is being watched. She can feel the pressure of eyes on her as surely as she feels the weight of her weapon at her side,

She resists the urge to reach for the hilt. Doing so in a crowd might cause undue panic and reveal her awareness of the pursuit to her pursuer. She continues across the bridge, shouldering past a pair of merchants who had stopped their wagon for inspection before entry to the city. As she does so, she hears a fragment of a shout that just might have been her name.

Her heart sinks. Of all times for someone to notice she is gone and actually need her badly enough to chase her through the city. Sighing resignedly, she turns just in time to spot a familiar figure cutting through the crowd.

"Cecille! Wait up!"

She blinks twice to make sure she is seeing clearly, but the image does not disappear. Truth be told, she'd been paying less attention to her communiques as of late given this business with the unidentified creatures but was certain she would have noticed if one of them had mentioned that the new Malkuth envoy would be visiting Baticul.

She continues walking until she is out of earshot of both the merchants and the guards and waits for her cousin to catch up. The last couple years have been good to him. He looks healthier and happier than she can ever recall seeing him during his time in Baticul even though he still wears plain worker's clothes instead of the finery typical of Malkuth nobility. Function over fashion, she supposes.

"How unexpected to see you here, Gailardia," she says, unable to suppress a smile. "What brings you Baticul?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Perhaps the better question is what brings you leave it? In ordinary clothes no less."

"Just a bit of personal business to take care of. Nothing too important." It's not exactly a lie. If all went as she hoped and the rumors turned out to be nothing more than that, it would be nothing more than her easing her own conscience.

"I see," he says vaguely. "Actually, I asked because I was wondering if you could help me with something."

Cecille bites back a spike of frustration. As much as it goes against her nature, she doesn't have time to waste right now. "Nothing too complicated I hope."

If Guy picks up on her tone, he doesn't let it show. "No. I was just wondering if you'd seen Luke or Natalia. I came here to deliver a letter for the Emperor, but I can't find either of them."

"Well, that makes sense. They're not in the city right now."

He frowns, obviously questioning the wisdom of letting both royal heirs out of the city at the same time. Despite their respective capabilities, the world was now a much more dangerous place than it had been three years ago. "They're not? Where are they then?"

"Out at the far borders. Natalia had wanted to check on some of Kimlasca's more distant settlements to see how they were faring in the aftermath of the war, and Luke volunteered to go with her."

"Of course," he says, relaxing a little. "Leave it to the Disaster Duo to throw themselves straight into the thick of things."

She can't help smiling. "Well it's my job to be ready in case the situation heads south."

"Is that what's happening then?"

She hesitates. "I'm not sure. It's more of a gut feeling at this point, but…."

"You can't just sit around doing nothing. I know."

She readjusts the rucksack on her shoulder. "I'm heading out there now. It'll take a couple of days, but you'll be able to deliver your letter if you come with me. There's no telling how long it'll take the two of them to make up their minds to return to the capital."

He rolls his eyes. "You don't have to be so roundabout, Cecille. Of course I'll help. You honestly believe they're in danger. I'm not going because I'm worried about the letter. I'm worried about _them_."

"As am I. The sooner we leave the more quickly we'll reach them. Are you ready to travel?"

He gestures to the sword at his side. "I've got everything I need, so lead the way."

She nods, only pausing momentarily before taking the first step to say, "Thank you, Gailardia."

Behind her, she hears him laugh. "Of course, Cecille. And please, call me Guy."

* * *

_Village of Treit-Present_

Luke scuffs his feet in the dirt, secretly glad for the solid ground beneath his feet. In the impermeable darkness of the forest, it is easy to believe yourself to be disconnected from the rest of the world. With the treetops blocking out the sky overhead, he can't help thinking that only the ground beneath his feet remains.

But he knows that the camp is behind him. With the fire burning low in it's pit, he can just barely discern the top edge of the rocky outcropping against which they had built their camp. Having taken the first watch as was their custom, Natalia now sleeps, safely nestled in the most easily defensible corner of the camp.

When she had first insisted they travel out here to the far borders, he had thought she'd lost her mind. When he'd heard from Guy the real reason that negotiations had been suspended, Luke was even more worried. Her behavior at Belkend had been the final straw. While he would have rather had the others there to back him up, he had decided that she had needed what Tear termed an "intervention" sooner rather than later and had taken it upon himself to see that she had gotten one. Not that he was the best person for the job by any means, but it had to be him or no one. Whatever the case, he is glad he had said anything. Getting her to accept Asch's letter had been nothing short of a miracle.

But now what?

Yes, they'd made their little pact-a new promise to replace an older one, but even he knew better than to think that would fix the problem. She had lost something precious, and no amount of talking could ever fix that. Perhaps one day she might come to terms with her loss, but she would have to face it first. If Tear had been here, she would have known what to say, but him, he was clueless. The only thing he knew to do in a situation like this was to keep stumbling forward in the hopes that he might find a way out of the dark.

When he had been lost in those days after Akzeriuth, too blinded by his own pride and self-importance, Tear and Guy had been his lifelines, pulling him out from the darkness into the light. Luke knew Natalia needed the same thing now but wasn't confident that he could manage helping her on his own-not when he was still a mess to begin with.

Sighing, he kicks idly at a rock, sending it skittering away into underbrush. "What a pair we are."

It is the sound of his voice in the silence that makes him realize something is wrong. No crickets chirp nor do the night-birds call. There is not even the telltale rustle of a nocturnal hunter creeping through the foliage. All around him, the silence presses on him like the weight of a physical thing until all he can hear is the blood rushing in his ears.

He decides to wake Natalia. Sleep can wait until they figure out what is wrong. As he moves towards her, he takes a moment to smother the fire, feeling instinctively that the light is too much of a risk. His eyes readjust quickly to the dark, and he locates his sleeping cousin, shaking her shoulder vehemently until her eyes slide open.

She sits up. "What's going on, Luke. I…."

He cuts her off with a shake of his head and presses his finger against his lips, miming shushing her. Confused and perhaps a bit irritated she complies and falls silent.

It takes her a moment to understand, but he sees the change in her the moment she does. It is as though an electric current passes through her. She sits ramrod straight, eyes carefully scanning their surroundings, hand reaching instinctively for the weapon laid at her side.

They wait.

For a moment, nothing, then they notice it. The rumbling is so deep that it is out of their hearing range; they feel it rising up through their bodies from the ground. Luke can't help remembering a story Guy had told him long ago about a creature that couldn't see but sensed its predators using vibrations in the ground. He feels like that now, as though something terrible and dangerous is looming over them, unseen in the darkness.

It is difficult to see anything, but something moves in the distance like shadows slipping past each other. The sharp crash of splintering wood splits the air as the ground heaves beneath them. Trees are ripped from the soil crown first and left with their exposed roots pointing helplessly skyward. Above, the treetop canopy is broken, and the first glimpse of the sky peeks through.

As the pale moonlight brings the dark of the forest into clear contrast, Luke and Natalia pull back further towards the shelter of the rocky outcropping, terrified of the feeling of vulnerability that the light brought. They still couldn't see whatever was causing the chaos, but now it could definitely see them. It is only when a shadow falls over camp that they realize how right they were.

A fallen tree nearby shatters in a cloud of sawdust and splinters as what looks like an enormous, shadowy cylinder crashes down on it. Natalia lets out a squeak that might have been the beginning of a scream, but Luke clamps his hand over her mouth so firmly and huddles her away protectively against the rock face.

A deep resonant roar twists the air, making Luke's gorge rise along with his terror, but he fights back the accompanying feeling of nausea because there's not time for such things.

_Be strong. Be brave, _ he reminds himself. _You've faced your own death and won. Do not let your fear win now._

The words remind him so much of Tear that for a moment, the voice in his head is hers, and that alone calms him. Next to him, Natalia seems to have turned to stone. She is so still that for a moment he doubts she is breathing, but a closer inspection shows that though she is pale and trembling, she is unharmed.

Behind them, the roaring dies down as whatever it is moves on, apparently having lost interest in whatever had drawn it in this direction in the first place. It isn't until the rumbling subsides completely that they even dare to move.

Luke hauls himself to his feet, bracing against the rock face for support until he trusts his legs to hold his weight then helps Natalia to her feet. She is still shaking as though the roaring has somehow lodged in her very bones, but the look in her eyes seems more like urgency than outright fear.

"We have to go!" she hisses under her breath.

He stares at her, aghast. "You can't be thinking of running away! We need to find out what that thing was."

"No, no, no. That's not what I mean, Luke. The village! Whatever it is, it's headed straight for them!"


End file.
